Lift Up You Eyes to the Hills

November 15, 2016

Not Forgotten

November 15, 2016

Listen, Love, Repeat (and a giveaway!)

November 15, 2016

I stopped and looked around my kitchen for a moment, overwhelmed with joy at what I was seeing. About fifteen women, a few of whom I was very close with, some I had never met before that night, were gathered around my kitchen island. The volume was loud as multiple little conversations had formed, and the laughter was contagious. We ate snacks, hung out, and for the first time ever, just stood around and got to know one another. These were moms from my neighborhood, women I smiled at and waved to each day, but didn’t know. Until that night.

It all started a few months back when I realized my birthday was approaching and decided I wanted to celebrate somehow. The problem was, I didn’t know how to do that. I have a few close friends, but they don’t know each other so trying bring those groups together might be awkward. And trying to arrange a dinner out or something like that felt hard and again, who would I invite? As I considered it, the Lord gave me an idea, and I ran with it. Instead for having a party for myself, I was going to have a Mom’s Night Out. I’d invite any mom’s of kids from our neighborhood school and instead of being bummed out that I didn’t have more close friends, I would step out and start making some.

With a ton of fear and a lot of hesitation, I sent out an evite to the few women whose email addresses I knew, and waited. To my utter surprise, people wanted to come. In fact, the small number I had invited grew as other women invited their neighbors. They were excited! And on that night when everyone arrived at my house, a beautiful picture of community emerged. We laughed, talked, shared, but most of all, we connected.

In the midst of planning this and following the Lord’s lead, I received a package in the mail. Karen Ehman’s book Listen, Love, Repeat had shown up and, man, was the timing perfect. The book, subtitled Other-centered Living in a Self-centered World, is a beautiful invitation to listen to the hearts, not just the words of the people you are with, and by doing so, love them well.

Listen, Love, Repeat

Listen, Love, Repeat is an amazing book; one I would highly recommend. In it, Karen teaches about the importance of living alert and listening for what she calls “heart drops.” Heart drops are those tiny moments when what a person is really going through peeks out and you get a glimpse of their heart. It’s those tiny phrases of deep need or longing or joy or pain. Moments when you can really see what it is they need. Heart drops form the subtext of what a person is saying and get to the heart of what they are feeling.

Listening for heart drops is a skill, one that Karen teaches well in this book. It takes practice and selflessness. It takes prayer. It takes time. But when you learn to love other people more than yourself, when you take the time to hear what they are going through, and learn to act on that, you will start experiencing immense joy. We will also start to see lives changed and the love of the Lord go out. Living like this lets us see God moving and gives us the blessing of joining him in that.

What I Loved

The Stories. In her book, Karen fills the pages with personal stories of God moving through the simple act of listening. Stories of families gathered together, moments with chocolate and friends, and times she connected with people on a heart level all because she made an effort to listen (or they listened to her). I loved the personal touches, it made this an easy read and made me feel like I was one of those people seated around her table, sharing a cup of coffee and talking with an old friend.

The Bible. It wasn’t just anecdotes, though. She bathed every chapter in the truth of Scripture and reality that Jesus alone is our example of how to love by listening. He is the standard for learning how to put others first and he teaches us how to let go of our own personal agenda and just love people as he commanded us to. I really appreciated that this wasn’t just a self-help book with nice things to say but very little to back it up. Quite the opposite actually, it was rooted in the Bible and everything she said pointed us back to Christ. While I wouldn’t really call it an in-depth Bible study, it had enough scriptural basis to make it a good read for a small group.

The Tips. It was also very practical. She doesn’t ever leave you with a vague idea, but no way to carry it out. Every chapter ended with practical ideas to put into practice what she had just been talking about. Ways to carefully care for a grieving friend, ideas for hosting a large group dinner, and even little ways to show love to your family are all included. While not all of them will necessarily work for every reader, they do a really good job of highlighting the topic and helping you start thinking through ways to put it all into practice.

The Growth. Karen wrote this book with the expectation that you will leave changed, and that comes out over and over again. This is not a pithy read that you can put down and forget about, it is a book that gently calls you to action. One of the most direct ways she does this is with guided prayers at the end of each chapter. It was a very clear call to action and I really appreciated it

In my kitchen

That night in my kitchen, listening to women who had never met each other talk and encourage each other, was one of the best nights I’d had in a really long time. The gospel wasn’t shared out loud, but it was lived in a dramatic way and I was honored to have been a part of it. At the end of the night, many, if not all, of us had the distinct impression that friendships were being forged and we were on the way to doing life together. All night long I thought about what Karen had written and kept praying that I would live alert, that I would listen to the women I was with, and would love them well. I am so thankful for what she wrote and the way it encouraged me to reach out of my comfort zone, obey the Lord, and put others first.

I loved this book and want to share it with you too!

Your Turn!

So, who want’s their own copy??? That is right! I have a full gift set to send to one of you….

Here is what it includes:

One copy of Listen, Love, Repeat, one Study Guide with the DVD, and one box of Hot Chocolate to share with someone in your life!

When people are going through a hard time I pray for them and spend time with them. I sometimes make a meal and deliver it to them. I feel time spent with someone just listening is very helpful. This shows them that they are loved and special.

I really enjoyed this post and the review of the book is really good! Your blog is beautiful! I will be following!

And when others are going though hard times, I like to send a card with Bible verse cards tucked in. They are small enough to be carried in a purse and read whenever needed. I choose verses for the person and the situation. I also use social media a lot to send private messages with Bible verses. God’s Word is so beautiful and full of Truth. It’s the hands that hold us together!

Great giveaway and blog post! What I like to do to encourage someone is to put my needs aside and really listen to them because I’ve noticed so many people feel disregarded when they are hurting. Like they are an inconvenience to their friends. They begin to feel like no one sees their pain, like they are invisible. So my goal is to come alongside of them and honor their hearts by listening without any distractions. Phone put away. Eyes focused on them without darting around looking at others. Not thinking about my to-do list or my own needs. That’s the greatest gift I can give them. (And what I want when I’m hurting.)

This is such a great point; people do feel like an inconvenience. Working to show them that they, and their pain, matter is huge. Focused care, what a beautiful picture of the gospel. Thanks for sharing!

“And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:16

About Elizabeth

Hi there, I'm Elizabeth! I love stories, but none more than the very real story found in the pages of the Bible. It was there that I was given a taste of radical, life-changing grace. And more than any story, I love to talk about God’s grace and his plan for women.

As a writer and speaker, I make it my goal to bring gospel truths to life in a way that is honest, inviting, full of grace, and deeply rooted in the truth of Scripture. I'm so glad you're here!